Abstract

This paper takes a qualitative, context‐specific approach to governance in hydropower development in India by identifying
and describing three modes that are important to planning and operations in this sector. Attention is given to the role of
documents and citizen actions in the courts, expanding the coverage of water informality in India. Rent‐seeking is also identified
as a mode of governance. This qualitative examination draws from policy and official documents, testimonies, and citizen‐justice
interactions to shed light on cultural practices and rules that are opaque to the outsider. Analysis of the interplay of these
modes of governance forms a deeper understanding of the human dimensions of hydroclimatic challenges across the Himalayas.
WIREs Water 2017, 4:e1198. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1198

This article is categorized under:

Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness

Engineering Water > Planning Water

Human Water > Water Governance

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